PinkPantheress has rarely stepped onto a stage without her now-iconic bag; a seemingly simple accessory that has grown into a defining part of her presence as a performer. First spotted during her set at Reading and Leeds Festival in 2022, the bag was never just a silly prop, it was an anchor against stage fright and a reminder that she could slip away at any moment if she needed to. It carried the essentials – lip balm, headphones, her phone – as well as a reassuring sense of control.
“I really enjoy the chat around the bag and how everyone wants to intellectualise her choice to take one on [stage]. It happened by accident a few years ago and then she enjoyed having it with her like an emotional support handbag,” says her stylist and frequent collaborator, Milena Agbaba. “There isn’t so much of an intention behind it, it’s just what came naturally to her. She’s normal and she’s funny, and that’s what makes her so special and attracts so many people to her.”
What began as a tool for comfort quickly evolved into a symbol, one that fused seamlessly with her nostalgia-soaked aesthetic and ignited a cultural fascination. The bag became a visual shorthand for PinkPantheress’s sound; timeless, playful, and unmistakably her.
This distinctly characterful style crafted by PinkPanthress and Milena caught the attention of one of Paris’ most exciting independent fashion designers, Diane V. Diane collaborates with her Mother in making her quirky patterned bags that appeal instantly to the trinket girlies of TikTok, making the majority of her designs instant sell-outs.
Together, PinkPanthress, Diane and Milena have reinterpreted the bag in tartan, elevating it from security blanket to statement piece, while preserving its intimacy and playfulness. In their hands, the bag is an extension of PinkPantheress’ fashionable world.
You’ve been designing tartan tote bags for years – what draws you to the quintessentially British fabric and inspires your designs?
Diane V: I’ve always loved prints – mixing them and creating little combos that might look a bit strange at first, but just feel right, has always been fun for me. Why not wear stripes and polka dots? That’s where tartan comes in. I see it as a playful way to elevate your style, and I also think it’s beautiful.
You design to a signature bowling bag shape – can you share with us any bags from history or pop-culture that live on the Diane V moodboard?
D: Some of my favourite bags have been the Louis Vuitton Sofia Coppola, the Rocco by Alexander Wang, and the PS1 by Proenza Schouler. I’ve always loved the Dior Saddle too, although I’ve grown a little tired of it now!
Can you talk us through your creative process for the bag, and how you and Pink decided on the final tartan pattern – did you have any specific vision going into fabric sourcing?
D: The way I work is very much a family process. Everyone in Togo is involved, from my mother to my aunt. When I’m there, I go to the market and pick the fabrics I love. When I’m not there, we exchange photos. For this project, I sent tartan options [to PinkPantheress] from the Grand Marché in Lomé, which is a huge market where I source most of my fabrics. Pink chose her favourite and that’s when we started making the bags.
The way I work is very much a family process. Everyone in Togo is involved, from my mother to my aunt. When I’m there, I go to the market and pick the fabrics I love.
Diane V
If the bag had its own playlist, what three tracks would be on it?
D: ‘The Percocet & Stripper Joint’ by Future, ‘Fuck Me Pumps’ by Amy Winehouse, and ‘Kiss of Life’ by Sade.
How does this project align with your broader work as an independent designer?
D: I think the collaboration aligns in community, in caring for and engaging with the people around you, and in seeking out meaningful moments and connections.
The bag was an instant sell-out on your website but is still available to purchase on Dover Street Market. How does it feel to have the bag stocked at such an iconic store?
D: It feels amazing. I’m incredibly grateful to Dover Street Market. They’ve been helpful and trusting, and it’s a joy to work with them. Sometimes it’s hard to fully celebrate your wins – people can be quite casual about them – but after my first pop-up at Dover Street Market Paris, I bought a bottle of champagne and drank it with my father.
We love to see the matching tartan skirts in your bag campaigns, including in your campaign with PinkPanthress, do you have any more plans to expand the Diane V brand?
D: I have so many ideas I’m excited to bring to life. It’s an exercise in patience, but beautiful things are coming and I can’t wait to share them.
How did your creative relationship with PinkPanthress begin and develop?
Milena Agbaba: I worked on her first ever press shoot with Jesse Crankson when she was just starting out. It was a really exciting time as “pain” and “break it off” were doing so well. The look has evolved over the years but I think the essence of her personal style is so strong, there’s always been a clear roadmap and we’ve worked together to refine and elevate it.
PinkPanthress’ style has been described as “true-thousands” or “supply teacher-core” – but how do you define it?
M: I think it captures a very specific moment in British pop culture and British culture in general. I saw a comment recently on the styling of her [Jimmy] Fallon performance that said ‘when a UK girl group would put on their finest business casual to randomly go off on GMTV at 8am’. This felt so perfect to me. It complements the nostalgia she references in her music so well and is instantly recognisable and relatable to so many. I think the nostalgia it plays into is actually people’s memories, style memories. It reminds you of someone whose style you’d look up to and not necessarily just what was going on in the media, but what real people were wearing at the time.
Over her last two projects we really wanted to have a signature pattern that we could make a symbol of her. For her last album campaign it was animal print and leopard and this campaign it’s tartan. It taps into the ‘British’ aesthetic without needing to use any obvious symbols like flags.
Milena Agbaba
Tartan has such deep roots in both tradition and rebellion – why do you feel it resonates with Pink’s aesthetic?
M: Over her last two projects we really wanted to have a signature pattern that we could make a symbol of her. For her last album campaign it was animal print and leopard and this campaign it’s tartan. It taps into the ‘British’ aesthetic without needing to use any obvious symbols like flags.
You’ve helped shape an aesthetic that’s both referential and totally new. How do you keep her style from leaning too far into nostalgia or trend?
M: I think this is something that Pink is very good at doing – in her music, she’s able to reference while still creating something totally new. I think because we reference very niche moments that tap into people’s general lives, it becomes more authentic and less of a copy.
I think that’s where this ‘true thousands’ term comes into it. She doesn’t replicate the look of what the artists of the 2000s were doing, she’s referencing what real people were really wearing at the time. This is another way of how she’s never leaning into ‘trends’, but it somehow makes total sense today.
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